Each week, Gregg Rosenthal picks his top way-too-early NFL MVP candidates. With seven weeks down, it's almost not early.

1. J.J. Watt, Houston Texans

We've had Watt atop our rankings for three weeks. We see the "Watt for MVP" theme gaining steam around the country. The defensive end has a long way to go, but he has a chance for a historic season. He didn't have a sack against the Baltimore Ravens, but he added four tackles, two batted passes (one was picked off) and a quarterback hit. And this was an off week.

2. Eli Manning, New York Giants

We're still waiting for separation from the quarterbacks on this list. For now, we can't argue with the New York Post. No quarterback has played better overall than Eli. His game against the Washington Redskins actually was uneven -- with some inaccurate throws -- but the overall body of work from Manning has been terrific.

3. Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons

That game against the Oakland Raiders still troubles us. It wasn't just Ryan's three interceptions. It was the Raiders' ability to dominate the line of scrimmage.

4. Percy Harvin, Minnesota Vikings

Harvin's four catches for 37 yards and one touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals looks like an off day until you realize he had the majority of Minnesota's passing numbers. It's too bad another kickoff-return touchdown was called back by penalty.